Harold the Iceberg Melts Down
Lisa Wyzlic
Illustrated by Rebecca Syracuse
Synopsis
Accompanied by Rebecca Syracuse’s bold, whimsical artwork, Lisa Wyzlic’s debut picture book Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is all about the importance of friendship and self-care, perfect for any young reader worried about their planet’s future.
Harold is an iceberg... lettuce. (But he doesn't realize the "lettuce" part because part of his sticker has ripped off.) So one day when he...
Details
Reviews
Praise for Harold the Iceberg Melts Down:
A Blue Spruce Award Nominee
A Green Earth Book Award Longlist Selection
"The perfect picture book for anxious kids. ... The anxiety my daughter experiences isn’t debilitating—after some time of spiraling, we can get her back to feeling safe—but it is exhausting, and it’s often hard to parent when you’re constantly worried about your kid’s worries. And this beautiful picture book, featuring whimsical illustrations of Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce, and all his pals in the refrigerator really seems to get just how exhausting those spirals are—for the ones who are spiraling and for the ones who love them." —Romper
"A punny tale of food friends tackling anxiety and climate change ... With humor and a light touch, Wyzlic balances brief expository passages with emotional dialogue. Syracuse’s digitally rendered anthropomorphic foods feature noodly stick limbs, expressive eyes, and enjoyable edible details, among them a chair made of bread and olives, a butter-stick TV stand, and a hot-sauce mustache." —Publishers Weekly
"Wyzlic tackles eco-anxiety at a kid-friendly level, and cartoony Harold and his fridge friends soften the reality of a crisis that even younger readers are beginning to realize as dire. Despite Harold’s misread on his own danger in the iceberg situation, the book doesn’t mock or downplay his anxiety, but it does emphasize that worrying to the state of paralysis isn’t going to do anyone any good: 'Harold was so focused on his impending doom that they couldn’t get through to him.' ... There’s very much a 'keep calm and carry on' message here that, when paired with the real actionable items provided at the end of the book, gives some amount of agency to the generation that will be most impacted by the changing climate." —The Bulletin
"The stratagems for handling stress are useful, and the colorful, cartoonish digital illustrations are energetic and expressive. ... Fun, with worthwhile points raised. It may even get some kids to try lettuce." —Kirkus Reviews
"The characters, googly-eyed vegetables with loads of digitally acquired personality, are charming, more than charitable, and children will love the adventure." —School Library Journal